This invention relates to capacitive touch panel assemblies for controlling appliances and the like, and more particularly, to capacitive touch panels having conductive pads and leads formed on flexible synthetic resin sheets and to the method of making the same.
Capacitive touch panels have become widely used in consumer appliances such as microwave ovens, electric ranges and the like because of their ease of use and cleanability. Presently, touch panel assemblies are manufactured by forming a conductive touch pad on one surface of a glass panel and forming a pair of spaced-apart conductors on the opposite surface of the glass panel in registry with the touch pads on the one surface. Electrical contact to the spaced-apart conductors on the opposite surface of the glass panel requires the use of a complex arrangement of spring contact members affixed to a circuit board or the like. The circuit board is mounted so that it is held in registry with the glass panel and the spring contact members make electrical contact with corresponding ones of the conductors on the opposite surface of the glass panel. This arrangement is complex, relatively expensive to manufacture and generally requires the assembly to be thick enough to accommodate the glass panel, spring contact members and circuit board on which the spring contact members are mounted. Furthermore, for shatterproof protection, a synthetic resin film has been bonded to the back surface of the glass panel; holes are required to be formed in the synthetic resin film so that the spring contacts of the printed circuit board can make electrical contact with the conductors formed on the back surface of the panel.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved capacitive touch switch panel assembly for appliances and the like.
Another object of the invention is to provide a capacitive touch switch panel having an improved means for providing electrical contact with the capacitive touch switch conductive pads.
A further object of the invention is to provide a capacitive touch switch panel assembly which is simpler, requires less parts and is therefore less expensive to manufacture.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved method of manufacturing capacitive touch switch panels and assemblies.
It is another object of the invention to provide an improved capacitive touch-operated electronic controller for appliances and the like and an improved method for making the same.
It is a further object of the invention to reduce the number of external resistors required in electronic controllers with capacitive touch switch panels.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a capacitive touch switch panel with improved means for connection to a circuit board mounted at any desired angle with respect to the panel.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a relatively thin capacitive touch switch panel assembly.
Yet a further object of the invention is to provide an electronic controller with capacitive touch switch panel having the switch conductors and electronic circuitry mounted on a single sheet of flexible film.